How do YOU feel about downsizing and moving away from your country estate?

[Citydude]

I"m 70 and retired 3 years ago. 20 years ago, we built a new house that everyone said was too big...except us. We didn't finish the upstairs at the time. Right after we built it, our divorced son moved in and I had to finish the upstairs. Then his daughter moved in with him. Then he got remarried, and new daughter in-law moved in. Then they had a child and after a year of 4 of them living in a small place, they moved out. We were alone for a cuppla years...it was nice. Then my mother in law died, and my 84 yo father in law moved in. Then number 1 granddaughter moved in and we're back to a full house again....for the past 5 years. I like a big house in the woods, but wonder if having that big house made life way too complicated for me. It's nice to have family near, but so many and so long and so near is a little tough to take, especially at my age, now. What I would like is just me and her here alone and the second floor nailed shut for about the next 20 years. I don't want to downsize as I have too much other stuff in the garage and barn that I like to use. The woods and wildlife I see and hear while sitting on the porch in my rocker with my dog there beside me is a little too much for me to contemplate losing right now.

Your a good man Pilgrim. Your family is lucky to have you. Contemplate that while your in your porch. Your dogs lucky too

 

[PILOON]

65 here as well, and as long as I'm physically able, I'll be living right here thank you.

I tell my wife "They'll drag me off this place in a body bag" and I'm not kidding.

Living in an apartment or even a small city would kill me. I need room and I need privacy.

\

I.m with you.
Rural kind of guy, your handyman type, tractors and woodworking and a general handyman guy.
Wife inherited her folks 8th floor condo and decided to keep it.
Man I feel like a caged monkey whenever I am there.
She is there more than here and me here more than there.
But after 50 years we make it work.
Maybe it is because I was a traveling sales rep who was away 50% of the time and we developed that routine that it still works for us.
But for me a condo is equal to living in a motel room and I had my fill of them.

I need my workshop to tinker, my saws to make sawdust and my welders and grinders to make sparks and create crazy projects.
Heck I create things for friends just to be busy and generally charge them materials and a bottle of wine.

When first married, living in an apartment, I would go to the locker area and saw 1/8 slivers off of a 2 x 4 just to practice my skills.
Simply needed my hands to do something!

 

[Ken]

This is the 20th year of retirement from gas and electrical jobs and all was travel to work location. so when retired moved to home I had grew up in and rebuilt and still enjoy.
But my Brother 2 years older had a large house and this spring fell broke his hip messed up the knee and this resulted in moving into city and attempting to sell the large house. Lookers no buyers.
Sister 4 years younger and she has sold her large home and is moving into a small house. Due to Taxes and restrictions on housing area.
I am still active and keeping busy (Like to comment that have again have the first 8 hours in by lunch)
Leased my 80 acres to rancher that keeps the fields clean and fences kept up but the Assessment keeps raising the Taxes to point cannot increase lease so have to pay out of retirement the difference. There was a $300 where they could not raise but 2 years later total revaluation and the 300 is still waived except the taxes jumps to now close to a thousand.
Then all the prices of everything has increased so may have to sell just to be able to maintain a decent retirement.
Had planned on interest or dividends would help with income .05 % will not by a extra pound of hamburger.

Insurance well as you know has deteriated to point of a good laugh to the doctors.
Mine has suggested locating some one still accepting Obama care . insurance I have had over 50 years now only pays 65% after Medicare and prepayment has been subtracted from the bill. about 4 bucks to the hundred.

So when the gov. gets us all down to lowest level of living probably will have also sold this place to live in city with its problems.
ken

 

[GPintheMitten]

I'm 65 and my wife is 64. We live on 20 acres. We like it here and so far can handle the chores. Im not ready for a retirement community. We like to sit on our covered back deck and look out... at least until the snow flies. Then it'll be mostly looking through the slider door.

I have a workshop in the barn that I can heat up. I will spend some time in this winter.

I think we need to try to make our country living easier for ourselves as we get older if we can.

 

[MossRoad]

We bought land back in '89. Had a child in '92. Got house plans for a 2600sq' house ready to go around 95. All was set and the Amish builder looks at me and says "Why do you want to build a mausoleum?" Excuse me? "Why do you want such a big house? In 15 year this one (he points at the kid) will be gone and it will be just the two of you in a big, empty house." Then he goes on wit some questions...

"How long does it take you to clean your bathroom now?"
15 minutes.
"It'll take you 45 to clean three of them. How long does it take you to vacuum your house now?"
About 15 minutes.
"It'll take you an hour now. How long does it take you to mow the lawn?"
About an hour.
"It'll take you 4 hours now. What about shoveling the driveway?"
And he goes on and on...

We sat there kinda stunned. The builder actually talked us out of building. :laughing:

We decided to move to a larger pre-owned house. Had another child in 97. Decided to put them through private schools and save for their college. Got close to building again but economy tanked in 2008, our jobs are not as stable as years past, etc....

Now, youngest will be off to college next year. We'll be alone. We're thinking of a cottage-type home with walk-out basement on the property. Maybe 1300sq'. The basement will be open with plenty of room for visitors to camp out if needed. But if we don't build in the next 10 years, we'll never build and we'll probably buy a town house near the river and retire there.

Anyhow.... we'll keep the land and leave it to the kids to use as they wish.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Wife and I downsized eight years ago and are now looking to downsize again. The wife looked over our horse operation while I worked outside and within. When I had to have knee surgury, we got to thinking about working seven days a week and decided to move to a little bit of a warmer climate and less property.

About the same time, we lost our grandson to cancer and thought my stepson and family would live with us while getting back on their feet so we bought only 20 acres but about 5000 sq ft. They never moved in so we have been rambling around in a way to big of a house. Our 20 acres is surrounded by farmland and preserved woodland. Turkey's, deer, pileated woodpeckers, etc. are regular visitors. Along with the big house, our doctor's are 30 plus minutes away and both my wife and I have our health issues, more so my wife, lol!

We want to drop down to about 10 plus acres with a small ranch house that I want to repurpose to a "net zero" home. (Cannot stay idle) Were we are, we figure we can cut our trip to town to about fifteen minutes and still find a rural area where horses won't be a hazardous attraction. We don't much ride anymore and most of our horses are seniors with no place to go. We have had them to long so they are more like pets albeit expensive.

 

[Toyboy]

We did just the opposite. We both retired in the early 90's and in '03 moved to our present home. We up sized from 1300 sq ft to 4000 with a 1700 sq ft two story heated garage on 7 acres. When the kids & their family's come visit, there is plenty of room without climbing over each other. We luv it, and despite having all kinds of requests to move closer to them (we were 200 mi now we're 500 mi), we have no intention to do that and have made that quite clear. We get to live in a vacation destination that others plan to come to. Life is good.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

I'm going outa here horizontal. I feel for you, I have a hard time physically maintaining our property. Hire a kid, I'm on third kid from the same family.(big family and the kids ages are spread out) It is rewarding to watch them grow up and give them job skills. Her brother starts this year, by getting off the bus at our house every time it snows. He will pull the snow from the building so I can plow and shovel the walks and help with the heavy lifting. Takes him an hour and his mom picks him up on her way home. His sister started the same way, eventually ran the skid loader and did it on her own when I had my surgeries. She stopped by the other day and showed me her engagement ring. Paying the kids is a lot cheaper than moving. I like sticking with the same family because they know me and I know them, there has to be a trust factor there because if they get hurt and your paying them there is some shaky labor/work mens comp laws and I don't have to worry as much about be sued. Her brother will help build a retaining wall this summer. I could hire it out, but it just would not be the same.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Wife and I are 58 and retired in August. We moved from 2 acres and 3100 sq ft in NJ where we lived for 28 years and raised our kids, to 1200 Sq ft in Pa outside if Philly. We sold our NJ home in 3 weeks. The town we live in has a university and alive downtown with over 65 restaurants and many shops. All within walking distance from our home, we love it and are happy we made the move. We have been to many events/ concerts at the university all free to us as well as many festivals downtown. The university has a large music program with a lot of talented kids. We are amazed on how much is going on around here, we are not bored at all. In our old home everything was 30-60 minutes away and you needed a car for everything.

Our 2 girls are now within 40 minutes instead of 2 hours. Our property taxes went from $13k a year to $3k, we even downsized to one car and rarely use it, we walk everywhere. Sold the Kubota and now have someone cut the lawn on our 50'x100' lot. Plan on a lot of traveling and will not be around a lot to worry about lawn maintenance. We spent 6 months looking for a place to downsize to and glad we found this place.

Do what makes you happy!

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

When i cant walk to the barn or do what I want, its time to go.